


Letters to the King

by miladys-winter (lykxxn)



Category: French History RPF, Historical RPF, The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Twins, Gen, clearly Anne hasn't read chamber of secrets, otherwise she'd know not to talk to people through diaries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 17:52:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7542286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lykxxn/pseuds/miladys-winter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anne Bourbon is an ordinary teenager who discovers that, through her diary, she can talk to King Louis XIV. Through him, she discovers striking similarities between them both, and a trip to the Louvre will reveal her true parentage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letters to the King

Anne frowned at the blank sheets in front of her. She’d never kept a diary before—maybe she’d better start with the date. That sounded like a good place to start.

_29 th May 2015_

_Today is a Friday. Nothing really interesting happened today, except Florence tipped paint all over herself in Art. I wish the school holidays were here. I’m bored of having to get up at 7am every morning. Not to mention I’m tired like all the time. Charlot and Connie are taking me to Paris in the holidays. I’m really excited. The history really interests me, and I love the royals. Louis XIV is my favourite, I think. Charlot wants to see the Musketeers’ garrison, which also looks interesting. I read about some guy called Aramis. He sounds great, better than stoic Athos or valiant d’Artagnan. Aramis sounds quite wise and sensible._

_Anyway, I have to go. Connie is calling me downstairs. I think we’re watching Harry Potter tonight._

_Anne_

The next evening, Anne opened her diary and almost dropped it in shock. On the opposite page to the one she had written on, was another page of writing—but it clearly wasn’t hers. It was completely different handwriting altogether. Still in shock, she began to read it.

**29 th May 1653**

**Is thy friend Florence all right? I hope that the paint was not expensive. Thou dislikest being awake early; then thou shouldst dislike living in the Palace. I woke up before the sun today. Some of the language thou art using confuses me. Thou say that thou art tired; I am sorry to hear that.**

**Who are Charlot and Connie? Are they thy parents? If so, why dost thou address them by their forenames?**

**Thou art going to Paris? That is where I live, although I do not think thou shall see me there. Thou seemst to live in a different time to me; I wonder how that can be so. I hope that thou enjoy Paris; it will be a different city to the one I know and love, but I hope that thou enjoy it nonetheless.**

**What is “Harry Potter”, and how art thou “watching” it?**

**King Louis XIV, le Roi-Soleil**

Anne’s jaw dropped. King Louis—surely it couldn’t be him. Perhaps this was all some elaborate prank—but it couldn’t have been. Her diary was kept inside a locked drawer and, besides, the letter looked extremely realistic. There was ink on the page that could only have been written using a quill, and the language seemed accurate for the era.

_30 th May 2015_

_Florence is fine, she just needed to go home and change. The paint probably wasn’t expensive; it was only school paint anyway. Charlot and Connie are my foster parents. I don’t know who my real parents are. I’ve never seen them in my life. I had a twin brother, but he died when we were both babies._

_And Harry Potter is a film, we watch it on televisions, they project the pictures onto the screen. I’m sorry if you don’t understand, it’s really hard to explain._

_Today was fun. It was really sunny today so me and Florence, as well as two of my other friends called Henri and Jess (he’s a boy, by the way) went to the fairground, which is a fun thing to do and it has lots of different rides and food stalls._

_Are you really King Louis? I’ve only ever read about you in history books. What’s it like, being king? Is it difficult? Also, how old are you?_

_Anne_

* * *

**30 th May 1653**

**I am sorry to hear about thy parents and twin brother. I also had a twin sister who passed on as an infant; I understand how thou art feeling.**

**I feel as though thy time will be difficult to explain. I thank thee for trying. What is “Harry Potter” about? Is it a novel?**

**The fairground sounds enjoyable. I am glad thou had fun.**

**Yes, I am really King Louis. Thou may be unable to believe it, but it is true. I was also unable to believe it at first, when I got thy letter. Being king is difficult, because I must make many difficult decisions.**

**I am fourteen. How old art thou?**

**King Louis XIV, le Roi-Soleil**

* * *

_31 st May 2015_

_Harry Potter is a series of books and films about a boy wizard, and he has to “fight the forces of evil”, namely an evil wizard called Lord Voldemort, who killed his parents. It’s really good. I wish I could show you it. There’s a lot of things from my time I wish I could show you._

_I’m also fourteen! That’s so cool! I can’t believe I’m the same age as a king!_

_Today was okay, I guess. It was a Sunday today, so we went to church as usual. I was just really impatient to see what you’d written to me. I tried looking in the morning but nothing had appeared; I think it takes time to get from the 1600s all the way back to my time._

_Anne_

* * *

**31 st May 1653**

**“Harry Potter” sounds interesting, but witchcraft is punishable by death here. I did not know witches and wizards were accepted in thy time. Lord Voldemort sounds intimidating.**

**I would love to see “Harry Potter” as well as the other things thou hast shown me. I would like to go to a fairground and eat some of the food from thy time.**

**Yes, it would seem that the writing takes a lot of time to come from my diary to thine, for in the morning thy writing has appeared in the diary. Perhaps going forward in time is more difficult than going backward.**

**King Louis XIV, le Roi-Soleil**

* * *

_1 st June 2015_

_Charlot always says “Pinch, punch, first day of the month” whenever it’s a new month. So today he pinched me and gave me a little punch on the arm. It didn’t hurt though._

_I’ve been thinking. If writing can go forward and backwards in time, what about people? Can they time travel too? What if I could go back in time and meet you? That’d be really cool!_

_Anyway, I’m going to Paris on the 6 th so maybe I could tell you a bit about what Paris is like. I’m not sure if it would work but maybe I can take a picture and put it inside the diary for you to look at? I’m not sure what I should tell you because what if it changed time? A lot of things have changed since your time and I don’t want me telling you something to affect history._

_This is the last week of school before the holidays. In maths we had to do an exam and it was the worst thing ever. I really don’t know what I’m doing. Numbers just confuse me._

_I love hearing from you, what did you do today? Have you told anyone about the diary? I haven’t._

_Anne_

* * *

**1 st June 1653**

**It would be wonderful to be able to meet thee. I would be delighted to hear more of thy time as well as thy holiday in Paris.**

**If thou art struggling, thou shouldst tell someone. They will be able to help you.**

**I have not told anyone of the diary nor of thee, for I fear they would think me mad. I have considered telling my brother Philippe, but I do not think he would understand. It is best that we keep this a secret. It will keep us both safe.**

**Today was fairly quiet. I took a walk around the palace; I would love to be able to show it to thee. I even wondered what it would be like to have thee walk with me. I was visited by one of the Musketeers thou mentioned in thy first entry; Aramis.**

**I have a secret for thee: he is my real father. He and my mother had an affair, but the people believe Louis XIII to be my father. They are wrong.**

**Aramis and I spoke of business. We could not act the way we wished to, for we were accompanied by the Musketeer d’Artagnan and his wife Constance.**

**In the evening my brother and I ate with our mother. I wonder if thou wouldst like the food we eat. I am still full.**

**King Louis XIV, le Roi-Soleil**

* * *

_2 nd June 2015_

_Wow! Aramis is your real dad? And yet people still believe Louis XIII was your dad? You kept that secret really well. Aramis must have taken it to the grave, what a shame._

_At least you know your dad, I guess. I’ve never met either of my parents. I don’t know anything about them. I think Charlot knew my dad and Connie knew my mamma, but they won’t tell me anything. I don’t think they want to hurt me, but I really really want to know the truth._

_Today I ran 2 laps of the field. I came second, beating Florence and Henri. Jess came first. He’s the best runner in school._

_My English teacher set us loads of work to do before Friday._

_Anne_

* * *

**2 nd June 1653**

**I understand that thou wouldst like to hear the truth. Perhaps they will tell thee when thou art older. Perhaps thy parents did love thee and were unable to care for thee.**

**Congratulations on becoming the second-best runner at thy school. Congratulations to thy friend, Jess, as well. Why not start doing thy work as soon as thou can? Then thou wilst be finished sooner.**

**I was able to speak with Aramis today. We were much closer than we were yesterday. I would like to improve my relationships with both of my parents. I do not have much time to do so, because the responsibilities of being king unfortunately must come first.**

**My brother and I went hunting this afternoon. I shot three rabbits, and Philippe also managed to shoot one. He is twelve, but he will maketh a good hunter. He is patient.**

**King Louis XIV, le Roi-Soleil**

* * *

  _3 rd June 2015_

_Thanks for understanding. It sounds like you had fun with Philippe. I wish I could be with you instead of stuck here on my own. As much as I love my friends, they don’t understand me like you understand me._

_Isn’t it funny how I lost a twin brother and you lost a twin sister? We’re both fifteen as well. It’s like we could be each other’s long-lost twins._

_What would your twin sister be called if she’d lived?_

_Anne_

* * *

  **3 rd June 1653**

**I wish I could be with thee, too. I do not have many people who treat me as a person rather than the king. Although Aramis, my mother, and Philippe do so, they still bow to me and address me as “Your Majesty”. I enjoy talking to thee, for thou address me as a normal person. I like that.**

**It would be amusing if we were twins, but it is impossible. How wouldst thou be able to go forward in time?**

**To answer the question: my sister would have been called Anne, like my mother.**

**King Louis XIV, le Roi-Soleil**

* * *

  _4 th June 2015_

 _That’s_ my _name, though. What if we are twins? You say it’s impossible to go forward in time, but what about the diary? We can talk to each other through that, so it must go back and forth through time so we can talk._

_It’s so frustrating not knowing what’s going on. I can’t even ask anyone, because time travel’s not supposed to exist. We have to figure it out before I go to Paris. If I know what’s going on, we might be able to meet._

_I mean, anything’s possible, right? The diary’s proved that._

_Write back quick!_

_Anne_

* * *

  **4 th June 1653**

**Thou art correct, although I do not think we will meet. I cannot explain how any of this is happening, and for that I apologise.**

**Anything is possible, indeed. I am as clueless as thou art. I spent most of today in the library trying to help thee, but nothing I read was of any help.**

**I think that whatever is going to happen will happen on its own, and that we should not force it.**

**King Louis XIV, le Roi-Soleil**

* * *

  _5 th June 2015_

_This is my last entry before I go to Paris. I’m not sure if I’ll get your reply back._

_Thanks for the advice, I’ll try not to look for you or any signs of the type of things that’ve been happening with the diary. If I see something, though, I can’t say I won’t investigate._

_I’ll try to take some photos of the scenery so you can see a little bit of what Paris looks like now._

_Goodbye for now,_

_Anne_


End file.
